The Girl With The Cocaine Stash: A Timeline of the Biggest Story in Ghana Right Now And One Long Sorry indictment On Ghana And Our Way Of Doing Things

Unless you’ve been living under a rock for the past week, you surely must have heard about the case involving ‘The Girl With The Cocaine Stash’. That’s the moniker I’ve given to this whole saga, modelled on the title of the uber successful novel and movie, ‘The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.’

Nayele Ametefeh, aka Ruby Adu Gyamfi, aka Ruby Appiah, aka Angel, was arrested by security operatives at London’s Heathrow Airport carrying twelve kilos of cocaine spread between her luggage and handbag. Initial reports claimed she carried a Ghanaian diplomatic passport, and within hours the government had been sent into crisis mode.

The Minister of Communications, Edward Omane Boahmah, was at the forefront of this exercise. He loudly proclaimed that the lady arrested held no diplomatic passport, and pointed to an error of some online publications using the wrong picture to accompany the story, as well as insinuations that she was close to the first family; to indicate that due diligence was not done. The Bureau of National Investigations then ‘invited’ the CEO of Citi FM and the editor of the Daily Graphic in for questioning.

After several questions were raised over their role in such an event, the Narcotics Control Board (NACOB), decided to flex their muscles and show they were on top of issues; they ended up embarrassing themselves more than they ever would have done by just staying silent.

They issued a statement signed by their Deputy Executive Secretary, Richard Nii Lante Blankson. Once again it was categorically denied that Ruby held a diplomatic passport, that she just held an Austrian passport and an ordinary Ghanaian passport. The clincher from NACOB, that she was arrested at Heathrow through a collaborative effort between NACOB and its British partners.

The British High Commission did not waste time in coming out to debunk that assertion from NACOB. According to them, they partner with NACOB all right, but the essence of that partnership is to ensure those with drugs are ARRESTED IN GHANA before they board their flights to the UK.

Of course, GhanaCelebrities.com has not been quiet during this whole saga, as usual dredging up the past of this new person of interest. It turned out Ruby is quite prominent on the Ghanaian entertainment scene, and was actually present at KOD’s recent wedding. She was also living quite lavishly in Accra, and we had a few photos and clips of proof.

The most recent developments involved the President making a futile show of force, dissolving the governing board of NACOB. It did not help anyone when a short while later it emerged that Ruby had actually been on the wanted list of NACOB since 2009.

Omane Boahmah made a not so subtle turnaround in a subsequent interview with Joy FM, when stating that if Ruby is found to be holding a diplomatic passport; those responsible for issuing it “will be pursued and dealt with, appropriately, according to law”

I hope you’re keeping score of the public embarrassments emanating from this story so far? If not, I’m here to help you.

The first surrounds the diplomatic passport saga, which later information has shown all the denials to be baseless. We have numerous government officials and NACOB on record saying she does not hold a diplomatic passport, but that’s blatantly false, as per this report.

So we have a known drug trafficker, who was running around Ghana with celebrities whilst on a wanted list. Was any effort actually put into trying to arrest her? Considering that she has been wanted since 2009, and passports have a shelf life of 5-10 years, she may have acquired her ‘diplomatic passport’ whilst a wanted criminal! She must really have friends in high places if indeed she was carrying a diplomatic passport.

NACOB is really the biggest losers here, their whole handling of the saga is amateurish at best. After failing to stop a known drug dealer carrying 12 kilos of cocaine, they attempted to siphon off the good work of their British counterparts. That was quickly shot down, leaving them red-faced and embarrassing Ghana on the international scene. Our major drug fighting organ (think America’s DEA), is a laughingstock.

The BNI inviting journalists, the President endorsing that decision, the bouts of bad judgement surrounding the handling of this case is endless. In the end, all we have to show for it is a criminal in British custody and a whole government apparatus looking foolish.

Naayele Ametefe is due back in court on November 27.

What is your opinion on this case and how government and law enforcement has handled it so far?

httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EztQROI8WA